Fernando Alonso feared he would not have the competitive edge on his comeback to F1 - comparing his return with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
Alonso had appeared to call time on his F1 career when he left a struggling McLaren side in 2018. But aged 41, Alonso is now preparing for another season in the sport, almost two decades after becoming the youngest champion since Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972.
But rather like Schumacher on his return to Mercedes before the Silver Arrows dominated the grid, Alonso fancied another crack in the bright lights of F1.
And the Spaniard's comeback has provided glimpses of his best - performing in an uncompetitive Alpine car and finishing ninth in the drivers' standings.
Alonso is not finished yet and will replace the retired Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin as he hopes to make further inroads up the grid next year.
But the two-time world champion initially believed his comeback was dangerous - citing Schumacher's struggles on his return with Mercedes.
Schumacher won five titles in a row with Ferrari but secured only one podium in three years after signing for Mercedes in 2010. The German legend finishes 13th in the drivers' standings in his final season before making way for Lewis Hamilton - who embarked on his own era of F1 dominance.
“I remembered Michael,” Alonso said, as per Motorsport-Total.com. “When he came back, maybe he wasn’t 100 percent anymore – at least that was the feeling.
“I had a lot of self-confidence, but not so much that I was 100 percent sure that I would be fast enough to drive at the highest level.”
Alonso ended the seemingly indomitable Schumacher's five-year glory stretch with his own maiden title with Renault in 2005, before defending his title a year later. But while Alpine lacked pace during his two-year spell, he is grateful that the team offered him a route back to F1.
“Last year I didn’t perform at my best level, felt uncomfortable at times and had to overcome some challenges, while this year I was almost at 100 percent," he said.
“I’m satisfied with the two years [at Alpine]. That gives me momentum for the future. I’m very grateful to Alpine for giving me this chance.”
